I have been noticing in the last year that after I eat my stomach gets hard and very tight for up to 2 hours after eating. I am already an overweight person and have never experienced this before. I thought that it only occured after eating large or gaseous meals but have noticed that it is after eating just a sandwich. I am not a person who expels gas often nor do I have a regular bowel movement. Once every 3-4 days is normal for me and has been this way for as long as I can remember. I am also suffering from lack of energy and constant headaches and do not know if this is all related. I was curious as to what would cause my stomach to do this. I had my gall bladder removed about 2-2 1/2 years ago and that did nothing for me. My weight did not decrease nor did my bowel movements increase. If you could help me I would be much appreciated.

What a difficult situation for you! First, if you haven't discussed this in detail with your physician, please do so at the earliest opportunity. There are some things you can do to help alleviate at least some of your symptoms, providing your doctor approves: be sure you have an adequate intake of water, at least 6 8-oz glasses a day; establish and maintain a mild exercise program, such as daily walks - this can be essential for healthy gastroenterological function; use a mild stool softener, such as senna; eat several small meals each day, rather than the usual "three main meals a day"; limit snacking to a bare minimum; and discuss with your doctor the advisability of using an antacid medication such as Prilosec. I always recommend that a person maintain a daily record of their symptoms, including what the symptom is, when it occurs, how long it lasts, what if anything helps relieve it, what you were doing when (or just prior to when) it occured, and any other date that seems significant to you. Take your record to all appointments with your physician(s); it can help your physician determine if there are any diagnostic patterns and when any medications might be most effective. Your lack of energy and headaches could indeed be related to the rest of your symptoms. However, I will again stress that you need to discuss all of your symptoms in detail with your physician. Further evaluation and tests may be warranted.